Balloon puncturing device



June 24, 1969 5, W555 ET AL BALLOON PUNCTURING DEVICE Filed June 15, 1967 INVEN O ass/ma Ja ROL United States Patent 3,451,649 BALLOON PUNCTURING DEVICE Bernard Weiss, Framingham, and Roland V. Matson,

Billerica, Mass., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Filed June 13, 1967, Ser. No. 646,159 Int. Cl. B64b 1/62 U.S. Cl. 244-99 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for puncturing a balloon in flight after the lapse of a predetermined time period as set on a timing mechanism attached to the balloon surface. A stud member on the moving part of the timer operates to release a spring loaded cutting instrument which then pivots and cuts through the balloon cover fabric releasing the gaseous contents thereof.

This invention relates to a device for automatically puncturing a balloon after the passage of a predetermined time interval and, more particularly, the invention is concerned with providing a spring loaded puncturing device which is activated by a timing mechanism and operates to cut through the fabric covering of a balloon after the lapse of a predetermined time period thereby releasing the gaseous contents of the balloon.

In the study of upper air conditions, it is necessary to locate weather instruments at the proper altitudes in order to obtain the required data concerning temperature, pressure, Wind velocity and direction, and other pertinent meteorological information. A lighter than air balloon means is generally utilized to transport the required instrumentation to the upper air location. Under certain conditions, such as, during military operations close to enemy territory, it is most advantageous to destroy the instrument balloon immediately after it has reached the desired altitude and transmitted the required meteorological information back to earth. This reduces the probability of the balloon exposing the observers position to the enemy and can best be accomplished by destroying the balloon by causing it to burst after the passage of a predetermined time interval.

Accordingly, one of the principal objects of the inven tion is to provide an automatic puncturing device for cutting through the outer surface and causing a balloon to burst in flight after the passage of a predetermined time interval corresponding to the desired burst altitude.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spring loaded cutting instrument arranged to be triggered by the action of a mechanical timer which operates to release the cutting instrument causing it to cut through the balloon surface and release the gaseous contents resulting in the destruction of the balloon itself.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a balloon puncturing device which may be quickly and easily adjusted to operate after the passage of an adequate time interval thus causing the balloon to burst immediately after performing its required function.

A further object of the invention is to provide a puncturing device which includes a commercially available timer as the triggering means for activating the spring loaded cutting instrument which bursts the balloon after the passage of time as determined by the setting on the timer.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a balloon puncturing device which can be quickly and easily attached to the balloon and which requires no special skills to adjust and operate to produce the desired results.

These and other objects, features, and advantages will become more apparent after considering the following detailed description taken in connection with the illustrative embodiment in the accompanying drawings, where- 1n:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation view of the device in the spring loaded position with the timer set at minutes;

FIGURE 2 is a view in perspective of the device attached to a balloon and showing the position of the various elements after the passage of a portion of the time interval;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation view of the device after passage of the total pre-set time interval showing the cutting instrument after release ready to puncture the balloon; and

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the device after release of the cutting instrument showing the balloon surface being punctured.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like structural elements in the several views, the balloon puncturing device in accordance with this invention includes a cutting instrument 13 pivotally attached to a bracket 15. A wire rod portion 17 extends upwardly from the cutting instrument 13 and is bent at a right angle to pass through an opening in the elongated section 19 of the bracket 15 which serves as a bearing surface to allow the pivotal movement. A coil spring 21 is wound around the upper portion of the rod 17 and the elongated section 19 and serves to bias the cutting instrument 13 upward and away from its locked position.

The bracket 15 is fixedly attached to an extension car 23 on the case 25 of the timer 27 by means of the screw 29. The timer 27 may be a conventional interval timer having a movable knob 31 which is used to set the time interval desired and also includes a handle portion 33 which coacts with figures imprinted on the face of the case 25 to indicate the time setting corresponding to the knob position. An outwardly extending metal stud 35 is attached at one end of the handle portion 33 of the movable knob 31 and as the time passes the metal stud 35 moves in the counterclockwise direction with the knob 31.

A book member 37 is attached at the lower section of the timer case 25 and operatively engages a pin member 39 which extends outwardly from one side of the cutting instrument 13 near the lower end thereof. The cutting instrument 13 includes a tapered knife blade having a hooked portion 41 which is sharpened and is shaped somewhat similar to a standard linoleum knife. It is the hooked portion 41 of the cutting instrument 13 which first pierces the surface of the balloon 43 after the passage of the time interval as determined by the setting of the timer 27.

In operation, the timer 27 is fixedly attached to the surface of the balloon 43 as shown in FIGURE 2. The pin member 39 on the cutting instrument 13 is engaged under the hook member 37. The biasing spring 21 applies a pivoting force on the cutting instrument 13 and, at the same time, operates to maintain the pin 39 and hook 37 in engagement with each other. The timer 27 is then set at the required predetermined time setting by rotating the movable knob 31 clockwise thereby positioning the stud 35 on the handle 33 in the proper position relative to the other element of the device. The initial positions of the various elements of the device are shown most clearly in FIGURE 1.

As the time passes while the balloon is rising and collecting meteorological data, the movable knob 31 is rotating counterclockwise back to zero position. The stud 35 attached to the knob handle 33 is, at the same time, moving in a circular course toward the side of the cutting instrument 13 which is positioned in its path. FIGURE 2 shows the stud 35 approaching the cutting instrument 13 as approximately one-half the pre-set time interval has passed. As the total elapsed time period is approached, the stud 35 contacts the side of the cutting instrument 13 and forces it in a sidewise direction. This latter movement causes the pin 39 to become disengaged from the hook 37 thereby releasing the cutting instrument 13 which abruptly swings upward because of the biasing action of the spring 21. The cutting instrument 13 swings in an are as indicated by the dotted line 45 shown in FIGURE 4 and pierces the surface of the balloon 43 releasing the gaseous contents and causing the balloon to burst.

As seen from the preceding description of a specific embodiment of the invention, the balloon puncturing device can be quickly and easily mounted on the surface of any size balloon with a suitable adhesive. This orrangement allows complete flexibility for operational use of the device particularly since the assembly and attachment to the balloon can be accomplished readily in the field. Also, the device according to the invention is unusually light in weight and can be manufactured relatively inexpensively from readily available materials.

Although the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing specification in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to this embodiment or to the particular uses mentioned. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may also be employed as a cutting mechanism for releasing, after passage of a predetermined time interval, an article which may have been previously attached by string or rope to an object subsequently moved to a remote or inaccessible location. Also, it should be understood that various changes, alterations, modifications, and substitutions, particularly with respect to the construction details can be made in the arrangement of the several elements without departing from the true spirit and scope of the amended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A balloon puncturing device for bursting a balloon after the lapse of a predetermined time period, said device comprising an interval timer fixedly attached to the surface of the balloon, said timer having a case portion and a movable knob mounted thereon, a bracket fixedly attached to the case portion of said interval timer, a cutting instrument pivotally mounted on said bracket, a pin member extending outwardly from one side of said cutting instrument, hook means attached to the case portion of said timer for engaging said'pin member, means mounted on the movable knob of said timer for disengaging said hook means from said pin member after the passage of the predetermined time period, biasing means for applying a pivoting force to said cutting instrument after disengagement of said pin member from said hook means, said biasing means urging said cutting instrument to rotate through an arc and to pierce the balloon surface causing the balloon to burst.

2. The balloon puncturing device defined in claim 1 wherein the cutting instrument pivotally mounted on the bracket includes a hooked portion at the outermost end thereof and a wire extension at the inner end, the hooked portion piercing the surface of the balloon, and the wire extension cooperating with said bracket to form a pivot joint around which the cutting instrument is rotatable.

3. The balloon puncturing device defined in claim 1 wherein the means mounted on the movable knob for disengaging said hook means from said pin member includes an outwardly extending stud fixedly attached to 7 one end of a handle integral with said knob, said stud moving in a circular path as said knob turns during the passage of time thereby contacting the sidewall of said cutting instrument and applying a lateral force thereto to disengage said pin member from said hook means and release said cutting instrument.

4. The balloon puncturing device defined in claim 2 wherein the 'biasing means for applying a pivoting force to said cutting instrument includes a coil spring having one section wound around the wire extension and hooked thereunder, the other section of said coil spring being wound around the bracket and fixedly attached thereto, said coil spring operating to apply potential energy to said cutting instrument When said pin member and said hook means are in engagement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,225,139 5/1917 Korzeniewski. 3,063,395 11/1962 Brown 83-586 X 3,160,338 12/1964 Widman et al 83-586 X FOREIGN PATENTS 5,214 3/ 1906 Great Britain.

ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner.

FRANK T. YOST, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 30l; 83586 

